Welcome To My Hell
by tippytoes
Summary: Kai has an abusive father and the only one that can help him is Rei, his only friend. Will love spark or will they fail? PLEASE R&R! I'm not good at summaries...rating may change. Hiatus
1. Prologue

DragonBlade: Hello everyone!! *Waves to everyone* this is my first Beyblade fic, since I read so many, I decided to give it a shot. And English isn't my native language so there are some grammar problems. Please no flames!!!! And PLEASE tell me if you like it!!!!!!!!! Enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: YES!!! I OWN BEYBLADE!!!!! *looks outside as a flying dinosaur flies by with an elephant on his back* O_o  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter 1  
  
A pained scream of a young boy echoed through the house. Upstairs, a mother with short black hair and ruby eyes was sobbing heavily into a pillow. Why? Because of what's being down to her young son.  
  
In the basement of the same house, a young boy, no older than 12, with duo colored blue hair, light in the front and dark in the back, was being punished by his own father. The rub eyes if the boy was filled with pain and sorrow. He was lying in a puddle of blood, his own blood, as a middle aged man with light blue hair and brown eyes stood over him with a blooded whip in one hand. The man brought his whip above his head and brought it down on his son's shoulder, ripping it open as blood spilled out.  
  
Kai Hiwatari screamed in pain only to receive a "shut the fuck up" and a powerful kick in the ribs from his father. A loud snap echoed in the basement. Even though it hurts like hell, Kai just bit his lower lip, afraid to yell out again. He squeezed his eyes shut, preventing tears to flow out.  
  
Before, this only happens about once a week, when Kai's father comes home drunk. But now, he's drunk everyday and abused his son every time he comes home drunk. I'll let you do the math. Kai's mother had tried to stop him but he always says, "try to stop me and Ill kill our son, YOUR son!"  
  
So every night, she can only cry as she hears her only son scream in pain. He was innocent, he didn't do anything at all. Every school day, he went to school. Every night he did homework, after his father comes home it's time in the basement. He gets good grades but no friends, except for Rei Kon, a boy in class. Only Rei knows how Kai was treated at home. Only he knows how Kai only wear clothes that covers up his scars, new and old.  
  
Another scream of pain ripped through the cold night's air as the whip of a father was brought down on his son's back. The whip dug deep into the flesh. Kai couldn't hold his scream anymore. And since they live in a big mansion far away from every other house, no one can hear him except a heart broken mother and an abusive father.  
  
Kai was laying on him stomach when a foot pressed down hard on his back, where the whip made it's mark. Tears threaten to burst out of its gates as he squeezed his eyes shut again.  
  
"You're a bad boy," Kai's father spit out, "you've been screaming too much tonight." He stepped off of Kai and disappeared up the stairs. Kai let out a sigh of relief and tried to move but failed. He clenched his teeth and waited for the wave of pain to pass. He heard footsteps coming down the stairs and thought it was his mother, but when he looked up, it gave him the scare of his life.  
  
There, standing in front of him was his father, with a knife in a hand and an evil grin on his face. Oh how Kai wanted to wipe that grin off. He growled, without realizing it. That wiped his father's grin off but also put angry expression in its place. Kai knew he had done it now. Kai closed his eyes as his father brought the knife down.  
  
Kai felt something rip through his back and whit-hot pain shot through his body. He screamed out again, and his father pressed the knife in deeper and twisted it. Tears were running down his face as he let the darkness to take over him.  
  
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DragonBlade: weeeeeeeeeell, do you like it??!?!?!?! It's a bit corny, but still. Oh yeah, I also need a name for Kai's parents, I'm not really good at naming names, so review and tell me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See that button down there???? *everyone nods* good, now see that pig flying???? *silence* Erk, I'd take that as a no, I agree, I can't see it either, but I do see that button and hear it calling "press me, press me, press me!!!!" Listen to the thing!!!!!! 


	2. Chapter 1

DragonBlade: THIS CHAPTER IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM BEFORE!!!! Except the first few paragraphs.......... and I want to thank everyone for reviewing chapters 2 and 3 and 4(that use to be up here)! But I think this is better than the last version..........  
  
Thank yous to Sano, JXX5, narakunohime, TigerTerror, Frostt, artemis347, Yaoi Angel, keisan, bffimagine, Storm Watcher, cute-little-raindrop, treachery89, *Moonshine*, YaoiYaoiYeah, Child of the Stars. A*a*a*K*I, Kai the Ruthless Blader. SoulDreamer, xXxBeccaxXx, Jay Kamiya, devilburns, CCSDanica, Gobstoppers, vanishingact, turbo, Leiko1, Shaka Dragomir Nocturnus, Phoniex-dragonmoon, Alex Hiwatari, and DarkWolf 88!!!!!  
  
'Thinking'  
  
"Talking"  
  
Enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: the day I own Beyblade is the day I stop loving animes. NEVER!!!!!!  
  
Chapter 2  
  
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Ruby eyes opened as the sun lid up his room. Suddenly he remembered what happened, 'was it a dream?' He tried to sit up and pain shot through his body. Kai's eyes shut tightly as he gasped in pain. 'Nope, not a dream.'  
  
"Lay back down," a gentle voice said. Kai obeyed and opened his eyes to see his mother sitting on a chair beside his bed (which he is lying on) with a lovingly smile on her face and a happy glint in her eyes. "You're awake Kai," she said happily.  
  
Ruby orbs blinked, and he smiled, or tried to, but ended up coughing. His frame shook as his chest burned like hell. Ethylin lay beside him and hugged her son close to her as she whispered comforting words into his ears. "Your father has gone on a business trio so he won't be back for a few weeks."  
  
"Good," Kai whispered softly. Ethylin chuckled slightly at her son's word.  
  
"I'm sorry," she said as her expression suddenly changed, "I don't know why you're father's acting like this," she looked down at her beloved son and ran her fingers through his soft hair, "he use to be so sweet and fun," she added softly.  
  
"It's not your fault," Kai replied, trying to cheer her up, and it worked for she smiled happily and hugged her son once more (A/N: man, this woman hugs too much!), still playing with his hair. "I love you Kai," she whispered.  
  
"I love you too mother."  
  
They stayed like this for a while, then Ethylin broke the silence, "Hey, you feel like going to school?"  
  
Kai slowly shook his head as his mother slipped silently out of the bed. "I thought so," she smiled as she leaned down and gave Kai a kiss on the forehead. "Get some rest..."  
  
The blue-haired boy nodded and closed his eyes. Ethylin took one more look at her son and locked the door behind her. Soon, Kai drifted off to a dreamless sleep.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*School*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*  
  
Rei Kon sighed as he took his books out of his locker. 'Where is Kai?!'  
  
"Hey Rei!" a cheery voice came from behind him. He turned around and saw the happy face of Max with Tyson.  
  
"Hi there Rei!" greeted always-hungry boy (Tyson).  
  
"Hi," Rei couldn't help but feel worried, Kai's always here before Max and Tyson. Even though he doesn't show it, Kai always hangs around Rei. Max and Tyson loved to tease Kai, which Kai really hated.  
  
"Something wrong Rei?" Max's the sugar-high boy, but he's a really good friend and always seems to notice the smallest things between friends.  
  
"Yeah, you sound worried," Tyson said.  
  
"No, it's nothing," Rei lied and gave them a fake smile.  
  
Max opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Tyson. "Hey, where's the sourpuss?" Rei's heart dropped as Kai was mentioned. He looked down at the ground, wondering the same thing.  
  
Suddenly, the bell rang. "Come on! We're late!" Max called and pulled Rei along with him as he and Tyson ran toward their first class.  
  
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Ok, this is not really long, but I guess you can say it's better than the last one! Piano class' is KILLING me!!!!!! Please tell me if there are any mistakes. Can't really update often, but it will help if you review!!!!!!!!! 


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes**: Finally! I have updated! So sorry for the wait, but by now, you're probably used to all of this. I really do hope you enjoy this chapter, even though it's probably not as good as the previous ones and the characters are really out of character. Sorry, there might be lots of mistakes since I don't really have any time to edit it. But I did go over it a few times! And I'm sorry (again) for Tyson's weird role in this chapter --;

Thanks to all of the following people for reviewing!

The Hands of Fate and Destiny 

**Moony-lupin-2**

**Chibiousa**

**Dante Leonhart**

**Wildfox**

**Ellen**-sorry for confusing you, I took chapters 3 and 4 off and I'm rewriting them . And thanks for reviewing so many times!

Bonnie aka The asakura gang 

**Artemis347**

**Tntiggris**

**Droopy1389**

**Dancingchocobos**

**YaoiYaoiYeah**

**Moonshine**

**treachey89**

**cute-little-raindrop**

**Storm Watcher**- Yay! You're one of my favorite authors (that I can actually remember)!It's a deal! I'll update my story and you update yours! But I think you've already updated your stories before I have...

**Bffimagine**

**Keisan**

**Yaoi Angel**

**Frostt**

**TigerTerror**

**Narakunohime**

**JXX5**

**Sano**

Acey1 

(Sorry for not having an individual response for each and every one because my mom is kicking me off the computer, but really, I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you so much to each and every one of you! If I missed any reviewers, please tell me and I'll add you!)

"Talking"

'Thinking'

0-

It's been almost a week. Almost a whole, entire week since Rei has last seen his duo haired friend. He didn't know where his feet were leading him to after school. Finally, he arrived at the gated of the Hiwatari Mansion. Looking beyond those gates, through a colorful garden that looked so empty and dead, lay the mansion itself.

Rei's been in there before; he knew where Kai's room was. Looking up into the window, he saw a curtain pull over, covering a silhouette who Rei could identify anywhere.

Smiling, Rei waved. He knew Kai could see him, but the guy's too shy to do anything. His grin widened and he turned around, starting to walk back to his home. He knew he had done what he was supposed to do; to let Kai know that he still cared.

The black haired boy came by everyday, after school, to the mansion's gates ever since the day Kai didn't show up in his usual seat by the window. Rei knew what has happened, it has happened before, so he did what he always did when this occurred, even if this little detour took him several hours.

Behind the curtains of a certain room in the spacious mansion, a red-eyed boy smiled and closed his ruby orbs. Kai was sitting by the window, his thin, fragile frame leaning against the wall as he gazed out the window, waiting for his daily (and welcomed) guest. Because Kai was never good at expressing his feelings, he would always blush and pull the curtain when Rei looks up at him. He knew that he can make Rei very happy if he opened the gate for him one day, but by doing that, Kai would be allowing Rei into his home, where his father might burst in on them at any moment. The last time Rei had come over for a project, his father found out and he couldn't walk for a day. It was a Saturday, so Rei didn't know.

Sighing, Kai peaked outside through the curtain only to find Rei walking away. It was a sight all too familiar. 'Oh well,' the boy thought, feeling depressed, 'it's not like I have the strength to go and chase him anyways.'

A frown covered his face. 'I better get well son,' he thought, cringing at the fact that his mind reminded him of. 'Father will be coming home.'

(A Day Later)-

That morning, Kai woke up knowing that he had to go to school. His back no longer pained him as much, even though it still aches from time to time. Because of the many injuries that has been afflicted upon Kai, he heals faster than most normal people would. But even then, he knew this one was going to leave him with a scar that won't heal for a long time. Shuddering as a sudden cold chill traveled up his spine, the duo haired boy pushed away the memory of that night with his father.

Groaning, he sat up, stretching a little. The curtains that covered the window next to his bed was closed, so he reached out and opened them. Immediately he winced as the bright sunlight shone in his eyes. He opened the window and let in fresh air. Taking a deep breath, Kai smiled. Somehow, he knew this was going to be a great day.

Kai was startled by a knock on his door. "Kai? Honey?" It was his mother. "Are you awake? Do you feel like going to school?"

'So many questions.' He replied, "Yes mother."

"Alright," the worried voice spoke from the other side of the door, "but if you want to stay home, please just tell me. A few more days wouldn't make a difference."

"No, mother," he sighed, heading to his closet (which was filled with many of the one outfit), "I'll be alright."

He heard his mother sigh, "Well, ok. Don't push yourself, Kai!"

With an 'ok', Kai heard footsteps fading down the stairs. Unable to stop grinning, he thought to himself, 'I must be going crazy. I actually want to go to school for once. Unbelievable. It must be because I want to see Rei..."

Just the thought of the raven-haired boy sends shivers down his spine. "Get a grip, Kai," he murmured to himself, "you can't see your best friend (though Kai would never admit he had a best friend) like this! Stop smiling!"

Changing out of his pajamas and into his daily outfit, Kai has finally managed to stop smiling like an idiot.

"Hello, mother." He greeted, sitting down at the breakfast table. His mother was already there, nibbling on a piece of bread.

"You know, honey, if you don't..."

"I know, mother. I'm fine." Kai smiled. It feels nice to have someone care about him.

His mother smiled too. Her son was in a good mood. "Alright. I'll stop babying you then. I'm just worried, you know?"

"Yes, mother."

"Is your milk a little cold? I can warm it up for you."

"No, mother, it's alright."

"Do you want more bread? We have plenty more."

"No, mother, I have enough bread."

"Are you sure you're full, honey?"

"Yes, I'm sure Mother."

"Do you want me to get your book-bag, Kai? Do you have extra pencils? Your homework? Did you pack your lunch? Do..."

"Mother! Please! I can take care of myself!"

"I'm sorry, honey," she chuckled at herself, "but I just can't stop babying my son!"

Kai sighed, grabbing his backpack and opening the front door. "It's alright, mother. I understand." 'Kind of.'

The woman smiled. "Go on now, the driver's waiting," she waved after him. "Have a nice day at school!"

Kai gave one last wave before climbing onto the limo. Right after the door closed, the Limousine started moving, and he headed toward school.

(School)-

"Hey Rei! Did you do your English homework?"

Rei sighed and rolled his eyes, slamming his locker shut. "Yes, Tyson, I did."

"Well, can I borrow it for just a few minutes?" the blue haired boy begged, putting his hands together along with the puppy-dog eyes, "please, please, pretty please?"

Sighing again, Rei pilled out a few pieces of paper from his book, knowing only Tyson's super-copying-sill could possibly copy everything on there in less than 10 minutes (Tyson has English 1st bell).

"Here," Rei was about to hand the papers to Tyson when the sight of duo-colored hair caught the corner of his eye. His heart skipped a beat, and suddenly, he wasn't tired anymore. With lightning speed, he shoved the papers and all the other stuff he was carrying to Tyson.

"Thanks Rei! But I've already copied the History homework from Kenny! Rei!" But Rei wasn't listening; he only had one person in sight.

Kai was walking to his class (that he had with Rei) and trying to blend in to his surrounding when a voice out of nowhere broke his concentration.

"Kai! How're you doing?"

The duo-haired boy was startled (though he would never admit it) and jumped slightly.

"Sorry," Rei winced, "didn't mean to scare you." With a soft 'hn', which meant 'you didn't scare me,' Rei knew he had been forgiven. The smile on his face widened even more when he saw the small blush on Kai's face. "Do you want me to carry some of your books?"

"No," Kai replied in a low voice, "but it looks like someone else needs you for something more important."

Rei's eyes left Kai for the first time since he spotted him and looked ahead, only to see Tyson hopping towards them, calling out his name.

"Rei! I'm done with your English homework! Oh yeah, you accidentally left your books, too. I'm such a good person, aren't I? I brought them all the way over here so you won't get scolded in class!" Rei tried to take his books, but Tyson was waving and fanning them as a way to express himself while he was talking. Kai slipped away, past Tyson, into the classroom, shaking his head.

Finally, Rei has managed to grab his books and his English homework. "THANK YOU, Tyson," his voice was full of sarcasms. He chased after Kai, running past the homework copying machine.

"YOU'RE WELCOME!" Tyson called after Rei. He gave a final wave, even though Rei couldn't see it, and started running to his own class before the bell rings.

0-

**Author's Notes**: Ok, I know not a lot is going to and there's not much action, but I'm really, really trying! I hope you liked this chapter! Please leave a review, tell me if I make any mistakes please! It really inspires me and makes me want to write more!


	4. Chapter 3

I'm so so so so sorry for not updating sooner! I know I should have, but massive writer's block and school work kept me really busy. But to make up for it, this chapter is longer (though not by much sob) than the previous chapters, and it's probably the longest my short attention span would allow me to write.

Thank you everyone for all your absolutely wonderful reviews, they've helped me a lot a lot a lot hands out Kai and Rei plushies. Please stick with me; I'll try to work so very hard on getting the later chapters up quickly. Thank you all again :D

Also, the plot has suddenly change (yet again), but don't worry, I didn't have to edit any of the previous chapters. I'm not even sure where this story is going anymore, but I'll figure it out when I get there. If anyone has ANY suggestions at all, I welcome your help!

Now, I'll stop talking and let you guys enjoy the chapter -

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Beyblade TT

**Chapter Four**

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For the entire day, Rei could do nothing but stare. He stared at the front board, his desk, his book, but mostly his friend. The teacher's words were like streaming ants, so minuscule that does not even catch his attention. No, the only thing he could think of right now was Kai. The teen had not spoken to him since that morning. Rei's cat-like eyes drifted over to the said boy again. This was how he had always remembered Kai being; sitting like this at the desk, not paying attention to the teacher and staring elsewhere. It was the same as what Rei had been doing that day, but somehow he doubted that the subject of their thoughts were the same.

Kai Hiwatari was tired. Not normal tired, but dead tired. He felt like his head would fall off and roll to the ground. The teacher's droning voice was not making him feel any better. He could feel sharp eyes piercing into his back. It was a look he was not familiar with. Many people hated him; loathed him to the point of stabbing his body countless times and feeding it to the sharks. Many girls loved him; they gave him chocolates and hand-made food, blushing and struggling to catch his eye. But he has rarely been stared at like this. There was no hateful or love-struck gaze today. This was something he wasn't used to, something that was just there just because it was _there_.

Throughout the day, Kai had fought the urge to turn around and see just who it was. Though he already had a guess in mind, he was still tempted to glare back and be left alone. He has no strength to deal with this. But he was afraid. Even though he would never admit to himself, he was afraid. The feeling tingled down his spine and made him shiver. He was not sure why it made him feel that way. Heck, he doesn't even why he's thinking about this. But he knows that it feels nice, once in a while, to not be hated or admired, to be seen as how other people want him to be. Although it was somewhat uncomfortable and made him uneasy, he welcomed the feeling. It made him feel relaxed. He was tired of being alone, and he was afraid that the gaze would stop, never turn to him again.

"Mr. Kon!" The teacher bellowed, causing a few students to giggle. "If you would please stop staring out the window and come up to the board."

Rei blushed in embarrassment, though he had to smile. Of course the teacher would think that he was staring at something _outside of _the window, not at the person who was sitting next to it. Muttering a silent apology, Rei stepped up to the board and solved the problem the teacher had put up there. Of course, he had some difficulties since he had not heard what the teacher explained.

The duo-haired boy looked at his acquaintance, someone who he had come to call his friend, struggle in front of the giggling class. He had been given Rei the cold shoulder for a while now. To be more exact, ever since he stepped inside the classroom. He was too embarrassed to talk to his friend. After having watched him come by his house/mansion everyday for the past week or so, Kai was now suddenly shy in the other's presence.

"Mr. Kon, please return to your seat. I think it's obvious that you will need to pay more attention to the lesson rather than daydreaming in class." The teacher gave Rei a light tap on the head with a ruler then sent him back to his seat.

Mumbling a 'yes, sir', Rei turned around and headed toward his desk. His eye caught sight of a certain ruby pair and quickly darted away, fighting down the blush that had threatened to flow onto his face.

The owner of said ruby eyes also turned away, failing to fight down a similar blush that stained his pale face. There was no reason for him to blush like a love-struck school girl after locking eyes with his friend, right? Of course not. Even the mention of Kai in the same sentence as a love-struck school girl made him blush even more so. _What is wrong with me today?_ He thought.

And so that was how the day progressed for the two boys. Rei staring, occasionally tuning in to the teacher so he would not be called up to the board again. And Kai pondering on why he was thinking the way he was and trying to deny the fact that he has any feelings for said black haired boy. Always, their thoughts were of each other.

At the end of the day, the bell rang, signaling the freedom of the students. "Mr. Hiwatari, please stay for a few minutes. I need to talk to you about the work you have missed."

Rei waited outside the classroom. After much thinking, he decided that he refuse to be ignored by Kai and is going to get conversation out of him even if he has to force it. He leaned against the wall right beside the door, waving good-byes to friends who passed. Soon, the halls were empty of scuttling students, glad to get away from the school.

After ten minutes, the stoic boy walked out of the classroom. Rei fell in step beside him, and spoke after he made sure Kai was aware of his presence to not scare him again like he did that morning.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing." Kai replied without even looking at the other boy. Rei had already decided he won't let Kai slid with one-worded answers.

"Let's walk home together, okay?" It was not as if they had not done this before. When they were small children, they would play on their way home all the time. Rei would follow Kai back to his mansion when his father was on business trips. Mrs. Hiwatari would offer his candy and lemonade, and they would play together until it was dark. Then the Hiwatari family's driver would drive Rei home. But they had not done that for a long time, not since Kai had started creating that invisible wall between them.

"I have something to do today."

"Your homework, right?" Nope, Rei was not going to back down. "You missed a lot; I'll help you learn everything."

Kai sighed. There was no way to get rid of his friend. "Alright, but you can only stay for a while," he agreed reluctantly. After all, the driver had called the school for him earlier that day during lunch to say that he would not be coming by today. His mother had forgotten to tell him about her appointment with her doctor who lived in another town and it would take all afternoon to get to and fro. She apologized many times and proposed to send over taxi drivers. Not wanting to cause a commotion, Kai had refused and reminded his mother once again that he was no longer a child and did not need babying and was perfectly capable of walking home by himself. After promising his mother that he will be careful on his way home and call if he needed help, she finally let her boy continue eating his lunch in peace.

Rei grinned, victory was his. He slapped Kai's shoulder teasingly, "I knew you'd come to your senses."

The hit sent a bolt of pain down to his almost-healed injury. Apparently, Rei was stronger than he thought. Kai tensed and winced, willing the fresh pain away.

Rei noticed the change in Kai's mood. The grin was wiped off of his face and replaced with a frown. "Something wrong?"

Kai simply shook his head, clenching the bag in his hand to divert the pain.

"Hey, are you alright? Injured?"

"I'm fine. It's nothing." The pain had died down, creating a numb feeling in his back. His body relaxed once again. It wasn't Rei's fault. He didn't know.

They walked out of the school yard, through the gates. A gist of strong wind blew Kai's light blue bangs out of his face, revealing his abnormally pallor skin. "Here, let me take your bag." Not waiting for an approval, Rei reached for it and was met with no resistance. Their hands brushed as he took the bag from Kai. This simple motion sent tingles up their arms and blushes onto their faces.

Both boys looked away from each other. Rei desperately wanted to fill the awkward silence that fell between the two. "T-This bag is kind of heavy."

"Y-Yeah, from all that work Teacher gave out," Kai stuttered, his eyes darting to the side. He didn't want Rei to see his blushing face, and refused to look back until he could get it under control.

Rei looked over to see the redness tint his friend's cheeks. A smile fell on his face once again. At that moment, Kai was amazingly cute and that thought alone sent strange emotions through Rei. He looked back to the road. The scenery around them had changed. The school was just a small building behind them now. The flat land on the sides of the small, dirt road was replaced by the hilly terrain that was of the mountains surrounding Kai's home. There was still an hour of walk before they reached Kai's mansion on top of the small mountain.

"Are you sure you want to come over? It'll take you a while to go back home since our driver is not here today."

"It's alright," Rei held back on telling Kai about his daily visits, somehow knowing that Kai knew and wasn't going to remind him of it since it would make both of them feel awkward. But imagining the blush that would cover Kai's face, he was very tempted.

Both boys fell in a comfortable silence. Trees filled their surroundings as they walked further into the rural land outside of the town. They came upon a cross-section in the road. One way led to the duo-haired boy's mansion; the other, more run-down and weed-covered, led to a small lake. The two boys remembered how they used to play in that lake until it was dark and their parents would come looking for them. It was a wonderful memory that brought tingles through their bodies.

Rei began to walk toward the lake.

"Rei, my house is that way." Kai had stopped, not following Rei as he half-walked and half-skipped further away.

Stopping for only a few seconds, the other boy turned back. "I know. I thought it would be nice to play by the lake for a little while. Come with me, please?"

Kai hesitated to answer. It was not that he didn't want to follow Rei and forget all his troubles, but he also did not want his mother to worry when she calls home only to find that he had still not arrived at the house.

Seeing Kai's doubt, Rei walked back to the other boy. His hand, the one not holding their bags, reached for Kai's. His slightly tan fingers intertwined with pale, smooth ones. Kai gave a silent gasp, surprised and blushing as he felt their fingers brushing against each other. Not giving Kai a chance to protest, the black-haired boy began dragging him forward, toward the lake.

After the initial shock wore off, Kai pulled back on his hand, though not breaking free of the other's grip. "I-I can walk by myself, you know?" His voice hinted his frustration and embarrassment at being pushed (or pulled, in this case) by the other boy.

"I know," Rei looked back over his shoulders, grinning and not stopping. "But sometimes you just need to be pushed or you won't want to go anywhere."

Kai mumbled, not wanting to argue with the other boy. It was just too hard and tiring to argue with the neko boy; he could be more stubborn than Kai sometimes.

Turning his eyes back to the road, Rei slowed down so he was no longer dragging the tired boy behind him but walking side by side. He did not lose his grip, however, and the other boy refused to meet his gaze. Rei sighed happily. He could smell the dampness in the air and could not wait to sit on that lakeshore once again with Kai by his side. He often had peaceful dreams in which he and his friend would lie on the soft grass at night and watch the bright stars above them. The thought stirred an image so strong that he could almost smell the wet grass.

The duo-haired boy kept silent. He could not get his mind off of their linked hands. He would pull away, but it just felt so nice that he couldn't. For once in a very long time, he was completely at ease with the world. All he could feel was the warmth that spread of Rei's hand through his own body, bathing him in his presence.

Both boys were completely happy and relaxed as they walked down the dirt road together. A few more minutes and they would reach their destination. Kai took a quick glance at the other boy's face, seeing his peaceful expression. It was hard to tell which boy was taller; both were about the same and neither had yet reached their growth spurt. Kai, however, playing the tough guy, has always said that he was taller, even if it was by centimeters. As they walked quietly, Kai wondered about the future. What would they be like? Would they still be like they are now, friends but nothing more?

All too soon, the road came to an abrupt stop, as if it had been chopped in the middle, and they stepped on to the grass surrounding the small lake. Trees were all around them and the lake. The smell of fresh water and grass reached their noses, and they could not help but take in a big breath of the clean air. The lake's surface reflected off sunlight that fell from the sky in all directions. Its clear water shimmering as a slight breeze blew across. One would be able to see the fish swimming underneath the surface if they stood close and looked.

"It's just like before," Rei whispered to himself. He stretched, his hand slipped out of Kai's. The other also wished to stretch like his cat-like friend, but stopped himself just in time, not wanting to upset the wound on his back.

"Let's rest over here." He found a spot where the grass was not as wild as the others and sat down, freeing his legs from their burden. Though the grass was not as wet as other spots around the lake, he could still feel its moisture sticking to his skin and welcome the feeling.

Rei smiled, sitting down close to the other boy and putting down their bags next to them. "You could have told me you were tired. We could have rested."

Kai blushed for the umpteenth time that day and his turned head away sharply, looking at the surface of the lake. "I was _not_ tired," he denied. A childish pout almost came on his face but it held it back.

"Right, right," Rei chuckled to himself and lied down on the ground, his arms crossing under his head. His eyes stared at the blue sky above and slowly drifted to the sitting figure. Kai's eyes were still fixed on the lake's surface. His brought his arms around his legs and pulled them to his chest. Gently, he laid his head on his knees.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" the duo-haired boy asked, a soft smile falling on his lips. His eyes never leaving the site of nature in front of him. His voice was silky and gentle, reflecting his calm mind. "It always has been, and it probably always will be."

Rei's eyes never left the other boy. "Yeah," he said, "Beautiful."

His dreamy voice made Kai look down at the boy lying in the grass. Seeing the equally dreamy expression on Rei's face, a smirk on his lips, and an unknown emotion in his eyes, Kai blushed and quickly turned his head way, facing the lake once again. "W-What are you looking at?"

The grinning lad took in a deep breath of air, then breathing it out. "Nothing," he said, turning his head away and facing the blue heaven above him once again, "just thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

"Oh, lots of things."

Kai sighed, giving up. Once again he had proven that it was impossible to argue with Rei.

"Lie down with me." Rei's sudden command surprised the other boy. Kai's head snapped back to Rei, the blush never leaving his cheeks.

"Why?"

"So we can look at the clouds together. We used to do that all the time, remember?"

"Hn." Despite his grim attitude toward the idea, he obeyed Rei's request. The soft grass beneath him rustled as he laid upon them. His hands crossed on this chest. He could feel the wetness soaking his hair, but he was afraid that his elbow would touch Rei if he had used it to cushion his head.

"Look, look," Rei took an arm from under his head and pointed at a cloud in the sky. "That one looks like cotton candy!"

Kai resisted the urge to slap the other boy on the head, and simply replied, "They all look like cotton candy."

"I sure wish I had some cotton candy right now," Rei continued, "I'm so hungry."

"Then maybe we should go," Kai said, but made no move to get up. "I still have plenty of work to do and get you something to eat."

"Yeah, but it's nice out here," Rei replaced his arm and took in another deep breath of the fresh, damp air. "We'll just stay for a few minutes."

But an hour passed, and neither boy moved from their comfortable positions on the ground. It was Kai who quietly stood up, ignoring his injury's protest, and went to retrieve his bag. He patted his clothes, trying to get rid of the stains and the wetness, but figured it was a job for another day.

"Come on, let's go."

Rei sighed, not wanting to leave this sanctuary yet not having a choice. He pushed himself off of the ground and stretched his arms and legs, picking up his bag as well and following the other boy as he headed toward the road that led them there. "Do you want me to hold your bag for you?"

Kai didn't hand him the bag, "It's not that far from here. I can handle it."

Rei smiled, catching up to Kai and grabbing the other's hand again as he did when they arrived. "Let's hurry! We wouldn't want to be caught out here when it gets dark."

The duo-haired boy looked at their touching hands, his cheeks once again became rosy and he mumbled, "It's not going to get dark any time soon."

The other boy simply smiled and continued walking down the empty and narrow dirt road, half-dragging the flustered boy after him.

* * *

Hope you guys liked it. There might be some mistakes because I'm just too tired to check over everything again sigh.

Please review lots and lots, it'll really help me get the next chapter up faster (and I promise the next chapter won't take as long as this chapter did to post :D)!


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